


Try and Try Again

by SonnyD



Series: If At First You Don't Succeed [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5 + 1 Things, Engagement, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22313860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonnyD/pseuds/SonnyD
Summary: Try as he might, Bucky just can't get any attempts at popping the question to work. He gets the feeling of deja vu when all of them are decidedly failures. The five times Bucky tries to propose and the one time Sam returns the favour.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Series: If At First You Don't Succeed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1606117
Comments: 24
Kudos: 98





	1. Romantic Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! I've decided to make sequel because I enjoyed writing the first one and I want to post something with more than one chapter again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

_'Why am I doing this again?'_ Bucky wondered, staring at his list. Not that he didn't love Sam, but he wasn't exactly an expert when it came to lists. The last time he had tried using one to dictate his love life hadn't gone very well. To be fair, everything had worked out in the end but that was because Sam was the epitome of human perfection. In any case, Bucky had an interesting past with lists.

This time was a little different, however. He’d finally decided to pop the question. He and Sam had been dating for a little over three years and what a wonderful three years it had been. Sam was his everything, his love, his sweetheart. The other man would probably call him a dork if he ever heard Bucky say that and then laugh. His sweet, beautiful laugh…but Bucky was getting off topic. He had a list to complete. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to run through all his options again.

**Attempt No. 1**

**Method: Romantic Dinner**

Of course, Bucky should learn not to put his eggs in one basket. He had started with a romantic dinner: a classic. How could Sam resist being wined and dined? They had had some of their best conversations over dinner, especially a homecooked one. So, Bucky invited Sam over to his suite and set to work all afternoon cooking. Creamy garlic chicken with a side of mashed potatoes was one meal he was an expert in making and it never failed to get Sam dishing out compliments. Bucky was just putting chocolate cake batter in the oven when he heard a knock on the door.

“Coming!” he called, shutting the oven door. He quickly took off his apron, thankful that he had gotten ready before mixing the cake. He went to answer the door, smiling at his boyfriend as he stepped inside.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted as he closed the door.

Sam smiled, “Hey you. Don’t you look dashing.”

Bucky glanced down at his outfit, a black button up shirt and black jeans. It wasn’t much but the first shirt he had chosen had a stain on it and he had to switch. He was glad that Sam liked it though, especially since his boyfriend looked gorgeous as always. He never got tired of seeing him.

“I would say you look great too, but that’s a given.”

“Stop it,” Sam said, but leaned in for a kiss anyway. Bucky smiled as they pulled away. He never got tired of that either. It was just one of the joys of being completely and utterly in love with Sam Wilson.

“It’s the truth,” he insisted. Sam shook his head, letting his boyfriend pull him towards the small kitchen.

“Do you need help with anything?”

Bucky waves him off, “No, no. Go sit.”

Sam did so and watched as Bucky plated everything before sitting down.

“Oh, my favourite,” Sam said, grinning.

“Slow down, sweetheart,” Bucky teased. “It’s not going anywhere.”

“Shut up. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“It’s a blessing.”

Sam laughed and they started to eat. As they talked, Bucky could feel the ring box in pocket weighing him down like anchor. His heart pounded away in his chest, anxious at the thought of finally proposing. He had thought about this moment for months. He couldn’t believe he was actually about to propose to Sam. He had no doubts that Sam would say yes. They had discussed marriage before and agreed that they would do it someday. Bucky loved Sam and he knew Sam loved him back, especially enough to make a lifetime commitment.

Back in the forties, he had imagined settling down with someone after he grew out of dating around. When he got drafted, he quickly forgot about those dreams. Waking up in the twenty first century put his life into perspective as he realized how much had changed. After getting to know Sam, he came to acknowledge that he would do anything to make the other man happy if it meant seeing him smile just once. He also knew at that point that he was screwed.

“Bucky?”

Bucky looked up from his empty plate in surprise, seeing Sam staring at him with concern.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked if you want me to help clean this up.”

“Oh, no. Go sit on the couch.”

Bucky stood up, shooing Sam from the kitchen despite his protests. He made sure his boyfriend was actually seated on the couch before turning to collect the dishes. As he quickly washed everything up, he realized that something smelt like it was burning.

Bucky froze for a moment before his eyes widened. His cake!

He cursed loudly, scrambling to open the oven. Of course, as soon as he did so, a plume of smoke began to rise of out of the space.

“Babe, you okay in there?” Sam asked from the couch. His voice became louder as he got up and started towards the kitchen, “What’s that smell?”

 _‘Failure,’_ Bucky thought, bitterly.

He grabbed his oven mitts off the counter and put them on to take the cake out of the oven. As he placed his burnt creation on the stove top, Sam came up beside him.

“Oh, did you forget?” he asked with a wince.

Bucky hung his head in shame, “Yes.”

He felt Sam’s hand on his shoulder and looked over to see him smiling.

“It’s okay. I’m sure it would have tasted great.”

“But –”

“Bucky, it’s fine. Let’s just eat ice cream and watch a movie.”

“Are you sure?” Bucky asked, turning to wrap his arms around Sam’s waist.

“Definitely.”

Bucky nodded, even though he didn’t feel very enthusiastic about the situation. Sam gave him a kiss on the cheek and went to pick out the movie. Bucky sighed as he took ice cream from out of the freezer and grabbed two spoons before going to join Sam on the couch.

“What are we watching?” he asked, handing the other man a spoon.

“Knives Out.”

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to watch that.”

“Me too. It looks interesting. One of the characters kind of looks like Steve.”

They cuddled close together and began to eat the ice cream as the movie started. As Bucky watched the family of assholes prance around on screen, he tried to ignore the ring box burning a hole in his pants. He would have made his move, but the moment had passed and he didn’t want to interrupt the silence they had. He was supposed to propose after serving dessert and see the look of surprise on Sam’s face as he dropped his fork before he could dig into the delicious chocolate cake. It would have been perfect. Bucky looked down at Sam as the credits rolled across the screen. He couldn’t help the fond smile growing on his face as he realized his boyfriend was practically falling asleep on his shoulder, curled up under the throw blanket Bucky normally kept on the couch.

As he ushered Sam into his bedroom, Bucky decided that he would just have to leave everything for another day. He had a list after all.

**Result: Failed.**

**Notes: Keep an eye on things while cooking, especially if baking. Also, ask Steve if he was secretly an actor.**


	2. Written in Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

**Attempt No. 2**

**Method: Written in Sand**

Since his last failure, Bucky figured it couldn’t hurt to try again. Luckily, he had more ideas and he wasn’t ready to give up quite yet. One of his favourite activities with Sam was going to the beach. In all honesty, the beach wasn’t exactly Bucky’s first choice to hang out. He didn’t tan, so sitting out in the sun gave him a splotchy complexion, sand sometimes got into the small spaces in his arm – as well as other places – and he somehow always ended up falling asleep. He had almost gotten sunburn once if Steve hadn’t woken him up to play volleyball. From then, Bucky normally stayed under a large umbrella, covered head to toe in sunscreen with sunglasses perched on his nose until Sam dragged him to swim. His boyfriend normally laughed at him but Bucky had to admit that Sam made it fun at times.

Despite this, he didn’t mind a nice, romantic walk on the beach. That was exactly his plan to try proposing a second time. He had asked Tony if he could borrow his private beach for an afternoon and after receiving an affirmative response, he went to planning. After his past experiences with trying to romance Sam, he planned everything to the last deal. He checked the weather forecast, asked Sam if he was free, packed a picnic and decided to use one of the cars available to the team instead of his bike. He even went down to the beach beforehand and wrote the words ‘Will you marry me?’ in the sand. For once, he was doing things by the book and damn it all if it didn’t work.

He had just finished showering when he heard a knock on the door. Bucky checked the time and frowned. It was a bit early for Sam to be at his door. Figuring that it was someone else, he wrapped a towel around his waist.

“Coming!” he called, leaving his bedroom. He opened the door and paused when he realized that it was his boyfriend on the other side. “Sam?”

“Oh please, don’t sound so exited on my account.”

Bucky shook his head, “Sorry. What’s up?”

He stepped aside to let Sam in and closed the door.

“I love your outfit by the way,” Sam teased, tugging at Bucky’s towel. Despite how many times Sam had seen him naked in and out of the bedroom, he still blushed and tucked in his towel properly.

“Yeah, yeah,” he murmured, trying to ignore his partner’s cooing as he kissed the ex-assassin’s burning cheek. “So, you were saying…?”

“Right. We’re gonna have to cancel our little trip.”

Bucky frowned, “What? Why?”

“Apparently, there’s reports of heavy rain in the area. I think they said that there might even be a storm coming in,” Sam told him, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it and held it out for Bucky to take.

“What? That’s not true,” Bucky said, grabbing the phone out of Sam’s hand. Sure enough, there was a weather report saying that area where Tony’s beach was located was experiencing torrential rainfall. That couldn’t be right. Bucky had checked the weather about five times just that morning and the forecast insisted that were indeed clear skies ahead. So, what happened?

“But I checked and everything,” he said, dropping onto the couch. Sam sat beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Weathermen lie, babe.

“But it was an app.”

“Same thing.”

Bucky groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“Hey,” Sam said softly, “it’s okay. We can just go another day.”

_‘Today was the perfect day,’_ Bucky thought. Before he could say anything, FRIDAY’s voice interrupted their conversation.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Captain Rogers has called a meeting in the main conference room. He says it is urgent.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” Sam said.

“I hope it’s not a mission. I just took a shower,” Bucky grumbled. He got up and went to put on some clothes as Sam laughed behind him.

As it turned out, it _was_ a mission. Apparently, there was crazed woman with weather powers using the East River as her playground. At least it explained where the sudden downturn in weather came from. It didn’t help to lift Bucky’s mood, however. His plans were once again ruined. He sighed. It wasn’t as if it was anything new. As they boarded the quinjet, Sam glanced back from the pilot’s seat and excused himself from his conversation with Natasha to go check on his moping boyfriend.

“Are you still upset?” he asked, softly, not wanting to be overheard.

“No.”

“Really? Cause you’re looking kind of grumpy.”

Bucky sighed, “Yes, I’m upset. I wanted this to be special. I haven’t treated you in a while.”

“Are you kidding?” Sam asked, incredulously. “There isn’t a day where you don’t spoil me. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky.”

Bucky felt his face heating up and he pressed a quick kiss to Sam’s lips.

“So, we’re cool?” the winged Avenger asked, his eyes searching Bucky’s face. Before the said man could answer, Tony passed them, tapping Sam’s shoulder.

“Alright, lovebirds, break it up. Can’t fly if our pilot’s playing Pin the Kiss on the Centenarian.”

“Oh yeah? Where’s Steve then?” Sam quipped. Tony shrugged and walked off to take a seat. Sam turned back to Bucky who smiled.

“We’re cool,” he promised, giving Sam another kiss. The other man nodded before going back to reclaim his seat. As they took off, Bucky thought about how lucky _he_ was. Sam was literally the best. He knew what to say when needed and he never cursed Bucky for his downfalls (not downfalls, he’d say, just imperfections that made him better). It just gave him all the more reason to want to marry him.

When they got back from their quite grueling mission, Bucky made sure to pay extra attention to his boyfriend. He ran a bath for him and afterward gave him a massage that was more than enough to put him to sleep. In the silence of his room, Bucky ran over the list. He had more ideas that would surely work. Hopefully, there were no more villains waiting around the corner.

**Result: Failed**

**Notes: Don’t trust meteorologists. Also, supervillains are sometimes annoying without trying.**


	3. Hiking Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I wasn't originally planning on posting this now but since, it's still Valentine's Day where I live, I decided to just do it. Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you enjoy!

****

**Attempt No. 3**

**Method: Hiking Trip**

Contrary to popular belief, Bucky didn’t exactly hate the great outdoors. Sure, he wasn’t the biggest fan of nature but after years of being a sniper and setting up in the strangest places, he was kind of forced to at least appreciate its beauty while he waited. It was a morbid way of thinking, Bucky supposed, but it was the truth. He didn’t mind hiking though, and that was a good thing as being friends with Steve Rogers meant no rest for the wicked. Sam enjoyed hiking once in a while and the two of them had even gone camping a few times with Steve and Natasha.

Bucky’s next plan consisted of trees, fresh air, a ring and even more trees. He had suggested a morning hike with Sam and the other man agreed, saying that they had been locked in the tower for too long. Bucky planned to spend the morning hiking, then go for a refreshing dip in the lake before sitting down to have lunch in the form of a picnic. Of course, Bucky would bring out the ring and pop the question. There weren’t many places in New York where he could do that (and discreetly) so they would have to take the quinjet to get there in order to keep time with his plans.

Bucky was actually excited for this one. It seemed simple enough that the plan had to work. He had even called ahead to ensure that the nature park they were heading to was open. He also checked the weather and sunny skies were predicted, providing that there were no super-powered surprises. Sam was excited too, Bucky could tell. He found it adorable. The morning of the trip, they left the tower early and made good time in the quinjet. They got to the park around 6 a.m. which was good as the sun hadn’t fully risen yet, so the morning was still cool. Bucky knew that it would change after a while, but he was glad for it now – even though he had woken up at an ungodly hour just to get ready.

“This is great,” Sam commented as they began up the trail, “It’s about time we got some fresh air.”

“Ugh, you sound like Steve,” Bucky grumbled.

Sam laughed, “He would love it up here.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t bring him up here.”

Sam shook his head and they continued to walk in a comfortable silence for a while.

“So, where’d you find this place?” Sam asked, suddenly.

“The internet. It’s very helpful.”

“Stop it. You’ve been using Google for years now.”

“Aw, I thought you liked it when I spoke old.”

“You know, when I said act your age, this isn’t what I meant.”

“What did you mean then?”

“I meant for you and Parker to get your asses out of the ball pit. You’re not five.”

“Neither is Morgan.”

“Yeah, but she’s three and it was her party.”

“Well, if we weren’t supposed to go in the ball pit then there shouldn’t have been a ball pit.”

Sam rolled his eyes as Bucky smiled mischievously at him. They turned to continue up the trail and only took one step before Sam heard a yelp behind him.

“дерьмо,” Bucky cursed, scrambling for purchasing on the rock they were climbing as he slipped. He looked up at his boyfriend’s smiling face as the other man held out a hand for him to take. Bucky grabbed it begrudgingly and let Sam help him up.

“So…”

“Don’t laugh.”

Sam snorted, “Too late.”

He burst in laughter, doubling over as Bucky glared at him. Eventually, he got tired of it and pushed past the other Avenger who was struggling to catch his breath.

“It wasn’t that funny,” he grumbled. He heard Sam following behind him as he hiked his way through the tall, lush trees.

“You were the Winter Soldier,” Sam wheezed. “Hydra’s infamous assassin for decades. Man, you even got people calling you a ghost. And you tripped over nothing!”

He started giggling again, much to the exasperation of his partner. Despite himself, Bucky could feel himself getting amused at the situation – because it was kind of weird – and he allowed himself a small smile. Eventually, they reached a flat space with a lake nearby and settled down to have a water break.

“It’s beautiful up here,” Sam said, looking out at the scenery. Bucky agreed. It really was a nice view.

_‘But,’_ Bucky thought, looking at Sam, _‘I know a more beautiful view.’_

Sam glanced back at him, “What?”

“Nothing. Just enjoying the view.”

Sam rolled his eyes and pushed Bucky away, but the other man could see his embarrassed smile. After a moment, they put away their water bottles and granola bars, deciding to go swimming. As Bucky changed into his swim shorts, he took out the ring to put it in his bag.

“What’s that?” Sam asked, appearing suddenly behind him. Bucky shoved the ring into his pocket and turned around, smiling nervously.

“A bug.”

Sam wrinkled his nose, “Gross, man.”

“What? Don’t want to see it?”

Bucky stepped closer to Sam who quickly moved away.

“Don’t come near with that thing, whatever it is you have. Bucky, I’m serious.”

Bucky gave chase, running after his boyfriend who led them down to the lake. They tussled a little and after realizing that Bucky hadn’t really had a bug in his hand, Sam made the first move by pushing Bucky into the water. They spent the next few hours splashing away and having fun.

When they got out to have lunch, Bucky could feel himself getting nervous again. The moment was almost here. They unpacked their picnic and sat down to eat, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the park. Soon, they were done, and Bucky cleared his throat after he finished his cupcake.

“Sam,” he started.

“Hmm?”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time,” Bucky said, patting his pocket to feel for the ring. When he felt nothing, he began to feel the other pocket, hoping that his worst nightmare wasn’t coming true. “I really think that this is the perfect moment to ask you…to ask you to…”

Bucky trailed off as, of course, his worst nightmare, really was coming true. He frantically searched his pockets and after coming up blank, he turned on his bag. Sam sat up, frowning at his boyfriend in confusion.

“Ask me what? Bucky, what’s wrong?”

“No,” Bucky groaned, “no, no, no, no. [блядь](https://context.reverso.net/translation/russian-english/%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%B4%D1%8C).”

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just going to go back to the lake.”

“Right now? You know you’ll get a stomach cramp.”

“Don’t worry, mom. I’ll be fine. I’m just looking for something.”

Sam frowned, “Oh. Okay.”

Bucky left, not wasting a minute before he jumped in the lake. He must have forgotten he put the ring in his pocket earlier and it came out when he went swimming. He was lucky that the water in the lake was relatively clear. He didn’t know how long he’d been searching before he heard Sam’s muffled voice from above the water. He swam up, catching sight of his boyfriend standing on the shore.

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me guess. You still haven’t found what you’re looking for.”

“No.”

“Well, see if you can hurry up. It’s getting dark.”

Bucky nodded and dived below once again. It took him a while, but eventually he saw something glinting in the corner of his eye. He nearly let out a sigh of relief right there underwater when he saw that it was the ring. When he went back to Sam, the sky was turning a mix of purple, red and orange, a good indicator of the coming evening. Sam had already packed up everything and was waiting for Bucky.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, then get changed and let’s leave.”

Bucky dried off and changed, making sure to slip the ring back into the box in his bag. As he and Sam made their way back down the trail and to the quinjet, Bucky could feel his hope dimming as he mentally crossed another idea off his list.

**Result: Failed**

**Notes: Be careful with ring. Apparently, expensive jewellery is easy to lose.**


	4. Written In a Cup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Since my classes have been suspended, I decided to spend some time working on my fics (which should have been done a long time ago). Anyway, sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy!

****

**Attempt No. 4**

**Method: Written in a Cup**

Before writing the list, Bucky had found a cute way of proposing on the internet. He could just get a mug and have the words printed out on it. He figured he might as well give it a try because at that point, he was running out of ideas and that was never a good thing. He ordered the specially printed mug online and nearly did a victory dance in the common room when it was delivered. Luckily, he held himself back because he doubted the others would have appreciated his less than stellar dance moves.

The plan was as uncomplicated as it could be. He’d surprise Sam with breakfast in bed and give him coffee in the magic mug. When Sam finished the coffee, he’d see the message, say yes, Bucky would give him the ring and they’d live happily ever after. Simple. The kitchenette in the suits wasn’t enough for what Bucky wanted, so he had to do it in the main kitchen and pray that none of the others interrupted him. One morning, he checked with FRIDAY that Sam was still asleep before heading to the kitchen to get started.

He cooked enough for the two of them, deciding that the others could cook for themselves if they were hungry. Pancakes, omelettes, bacon and French toast were all laid out on the counter. If he were to be honest, Bucky was proud of his work. It all looked great and a little taste test proved that they tasted just as well too. It was time to wake Sam up.

Bucky began to search the cupboards for a tray when he heard something that sounded suspiciously like footsteps heading in the direction of the kitchen. He hoped it wasn’t one of the other Avengers. The last thing he needed was them asking about getting food too. Surprisingly, Sam was the one who appeared in the doorway, already dressed.

“Morning,” he greeted. “Did you do all this?”

“Uh, yeah,” Bucky replied, confused. He watched as Sam came forward and take up a strip of bacon. “What are you doing up?”

“I have to get to the Air Force Department early today to meet with some of the recruits. Don’t you remember? I told you about it.”

Bucky winced, “Yeah, you did.”

Sam studied him carefully before looking down at the food. He smiled.

“I can sit and eat with you if you want. I mean, you did make all this for…”

“For you,” Bucky said, allowing himself to be hopeful again.

Sam’s smile widened, “You’re sweet.”

Bucky smiled back and gestured for him to sit down. He turned to get the mug, pouring out coffee. This was his chance and he was going to take it. He poured himself coffee in another mug and went to join his boyfriend. Sam was already serving himself a little bit of everything and he smiled appreciatively at Bucky when the other man placed the coffee in front of him.

Bucky watched as Sam took his first bite of the pancakes and moaned.

“Has anyone ever told you that you should quit being an Avenger and just open your own restaurant?”

Bucky chuckled, “Only you every time you eat my food.”

“Are you kidding? You could poison me with this and I’d die happy.”

Bucky blushed and took a sip of coffee to avoid Sam’s gaze.

“Try some of the coffee,” he suggested, trying not to sound eager. Sam gave him an odd look but nodded. He lifted the cup to drink some but stopped when he saw the message on the rim.

‘Good morning, beautiful’

“Cute,” he said with a grin. Bucky smiled back and let him eat in silence, waiting for the other man to reach the bottom where the words ‘Will you marry me?’ were printed. He was startled when Sam glanced at his watch and cursed as he stood up.

“What is it?” Bucky asked, standing in surprise.

“If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late. Thanks for breakfast. Love you.”

He gave Bucky a hurried kiss on the cheek before leaving. Bucky frowned, walking over the to the other end of the counter to look down at the cup. Not even halfway through. He sighed.

“Love you too,” he said into the silence of the kitchen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone for long. Not even a second later and Steve came in, blinking in surprise at the spread of food.

“What’s all this?”

“It was for Sam,” Bucky grumbled, “but I guess you can have some if you want.”

“Thanks. You okay?”

“Yeah, just…nothing.”

“Come on. Tell me,” Steve badgered, taking a seat at the island. He began to put stuff onto an empty plate as he waited.

“I was trying to surprise Sam with breakfast, but he had to leave for some meeting,” Bucky admitted.

Steve raised his eyebrows, “Just breakfast?”

“Not just breakfast,” Bucky said after a moment of silence and Steve made an understanding noise.

“Don’t worry, Buck. I’m sure you’ll get your chance,” he consoled.

“Yeah, that’s what I told myself the last three times,” Bucky mumbled under his breath. Steve seemed to hear anyway and gave his friend a look that could only mean a lecture was on its way.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just try again.”

_‘I hope the next one works. It’s my last one.’_

“Good,” Steve said. He looked as though he were about to continue when Tony stumbled into the kitchen. He headed straight for the coffee machine without greeting Steve or Bucky.

“You look like shit,” Bucky said, seeing the dark circles under Tony’s face. The other man only grunted, picking up the coffee pot, squinting down at it when he realized that it was empty.

“Why are you here?” Steve asked, curiously. If Tony came to the compound, he would usually announce his presence.

“Came in late,’ Tony mumbled, rubbing a hand down his face. “Had to finish some work.”

His eyes landed on the almost full cup of coffee left on the counter. He picked it up and started drinking before Bucky could stop him. As Tony finished the coffee, he looked back down at the cup mournfully but startled at the message printed on the bottom.

“Uh, not that I don’t mind you, robocop,” Tony started and Bucky internally groaned, “but I’m married.”

“I know that,” Bucky snapped. “It wasn’t for you, tin head.”

“Well, who was – oh. _Oh._ ”

“Yeah,” Bucky muttered, dryly. He leaned forward, folding his arms on the counter and dropping his chin onto them. He knew he must have looked ridiculous, pouting like a child, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he felt Steve patting his head. On to the next one, then.

**Result: Failed.**

**Notes: Remember Sam’s appointments. He might be running late.**


	5. Outright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I know we're all bored ( and that's why I was able to write this). I hope this will help to alleviate some of your boredom. Hope you enjoy it!

****

**Attempt No. 5**

**Method: Outright**

It was sad when the last thing on Bucky’s list was just to ask Sam outright to marry him. It wasn’t that it was a bad plan or anything. There were worse ways one could be proposed to, but Bucky had made the list for a reason. He had wanted the proposal to be special and romantic. Something that was worthy of Sam because Bucky was more than certain that his boyfriend deserved the best. However, despite all of that, it was becoming obvious that life had other plans for them. All his other plans had been exhausted and if he were to be honest, Bucky just wanted to be on his honeymoon at the moment.

He had to do things by the book, though and he was going to ask Sam to marry him even if it killed him. Okay, that probably wasn’t the best choice of words, but Bucky was serious. He wondered if it was finally going to work and then quickly shut the thought out. The last thing he needed was to start doubting himself. He had waited too long for this moment to have it ruined by cowardice.

 _‘Now, where’s the ring?’_ he thought. He dug through his beside drawer and smiled when his fingers touched the cool leather of the box. He pulled out the little thing that had caused him so much trouble over the past few weeks. After the hiking incident, he had kept it close by. It was best to learn from one’s mistakes after all.

After siking himself up, he left for Sam’s suite, which the other man had been cooped up in all morning. It might have been a little strange to the rest of the Avengers that Sam and Bucky didn’t just share a room. The truth was they spent more time sleeping in each other’s beds than alone, but they kept the rooms for formality’s sake. The fact that they both still liked the privacy it afforded was just another perk.

Bucky came to a stop in front of Sam’s door and knocked. He didn’t get a response and after a moment, knocked again.

“Uh, FRIDAY, is Sam in there?”

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Thanks,” Bucky replied, frowning.

He knocked again on Sam’s door but received no response. He opened it and glanced around the living area. It was empty, which meant Sam was in the bedroom or bathroom.

_‘Well, that explains why he didn’t answer.’_

He went over to the bedroom door and knocked, calling out Sam’s name. He pushed open the door and paused when he realized that he had caught his boyfriend mid-nap.

“Sleeping?” Bucky asked himself, aloud. “At this hour?”

It wasn’t unusual for Sam to take naps, but he mostly did that when he had come back from a rough mission or barely got any sleep the night before. As far as Bucky knew, neither had happened.

“Sammy?” he called, gently. He walked over to the bed and sat in the vacant space beside his slumbering boyfriend, who, now that Bucky was really paying attention, was snoring. Sam didn’t snore. Was he suffocating? Bucky had read something about people’s tongues which fell back in their throat, so they snored. Out of panic, he started shaking Sam without thinking.

“Sam, wake up!”

“Hm…what?” came the groggy response.

“Wake up!”

“Bucky? What is it?”

Sam sat up, rubbing his eyes (which was adorable, in Bucky’s opinion) and turned to face him.

“Good, you’re up.”

Sam gave him what could only be described as a bitch face (Natasha’s words).

“Yes, and?” he asked. His voice was croaky, but Bucky passed it off as normal for just waking up.

“It’s just that you were sleeping, and I realized that you were snoring, but you never snore, and I thought you were…choking on…your tongue…”

Bucky began to realize that he sounded silly the longer he talked, and he could himself blushing as Sam stared at him. Luckily, the look wasn’t one of anger but could be called exasperated fondness. He was used to that one just as he was used to the bitch face.

“Babe, I’m fine,” Sam said, letting out a yawn. Bucky was surprised when it turned into a coughing fit and he reached out to rub his boyfriend’s back. Sam grimaced as he caught his breath. “Well, I’m almost fine.”

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Bucky asked, concerned. He put a hand on Sam’s forehead, ignoring the other’s attempts to bat it away. “You’re hot.”

Sam gave a weak smile, “Thanks. Yeah, I’m sick. I didn’t feel too good this morning, so I didn’t go running with Steve. I guess he never told you.”

“No. I haven’t seen him all morning.”

“Oh. I should have guessed since you – Bucky, what the hell are you doing?”

Bucky didn’t look up as he continued to fluff the pillows and sheets around Sam, effectively tucking him in.

“Making you comfortable. Now, stop talking. You’re only making yourself expel more energy.”

“It’s only talking,” Sam said, amused by his boyfriend’s actions.

“Shh. You lay down while I make you some soup.”

“Bucky, you don’t have to –”

“I should get you some vitamin tablets and orange juice. You’ll need water too.”

“Baby –”

“Some herbal tea should do you good too.”

“Bucky, seriously, you don’t need to do all this.”

It was no use, however. Bucky had gone into full Mother Hen mode and that meant that Sam’s protests had fallen upon selectively deaf ears.

“Yes, I do,” Bucky said, giving Sam’s pillow one last pat. “And I said, no talking.”

Sam grinned, “Yes, sir.”

The moment was ruined when he began coughing again. He rubbed his throat in a feeble attempt to soothe the uncomfortable soreness.

“Just stay there. I’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

Sam watched Bucky leave, thinking back to when Steve had told him about whenever he got sick back in the day. Buck had behaved like more of a nurse than Steve’s mother, who was actually a nurse. He didn’t realize how true Steve was about Bucky’s overbearing presence when one got sick until he gotten strep throat shortly after they had started dating. He had learned it was futile to try and stop Bucky from pestering him but that didn’t stop him from trying.

As Bucky began banging around in the kitchenette, he sighed. He had once again failed to propose to Sam, but in all honesty, he believed that taking care of his sick boyfriend was a thousand times more important. He’d just deal with engagement later.

**Result: Failed.**

**Notes: Sam is adorable when he’s sick. Also, proposal plans are to be postponed.**


	6. In Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is incredibly late and I'm terribly sorry. So much has been going and I'm going to be honest, I haven't been motivated to keep writing. I'm not going to stop, but I had a harder time than I should have trying to finish this. Just to let you know, the last part might be a little suckish, but I was never good at writing conclusions. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

The truth was that Sam had known that Bucky had been trying to propose to him. Don’t get him wrong; he wasn’t aware at first but after their hiking trip it hadn’t taken him long to figure out what was happening. He had decided to let Bucky continue trying to propose. The other man obviously had a plan and Sam knew better than to interrupt. Even so, it was painstaking to watch him fail time after time and Sam had had to stop himself many times from just telling Bucky that he knew. The ex-soldier had been determined to do it by himself and Sam admired that about him (among other things).

After the last attempt, however, he came to realize that Bucky had given up. At least for now. It had been a few weeks since Sam had gotten over his flu and his boyfriend had yet to try again. Sam knew that Bucky hadn’t necessarily given up for good. If he was trying to propose, then that meant he really did want to marry Sam (and boy, did his heart skip at that). However, all his fruitless tries meant that Bucky had decided to put a cork in it for the time being.

That wasn’t going to fly in Sam’s book.

He returned his boyfriend’s sentiments. If there was anyone that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, it would be Bucky. Seeing him stop trying made Sam feel almost guilty, though it was no fault of his that the proposals failed. If anything, he became determined to raise his boyfriend’s spirits and he had the perfect idea. He just needed to do a little shopping first.

* * *

He invited Bucky to dinner in his suite after a few days and luckily, it was such a normal occurrence that the other man hadn’t thought twice about it before accepting. Sam cooked all afternoon and it was just as he had taken the cake that he baked for dessert out of the oven that there was a knock on the door. He sighed, placed the cake on the counter to cool and went to answer the door.

“I come bearing gifts,” Bucky declared as he entered the room.

“Really? You’re not carrying anything,” Sam noted while closing the door.

“Of course, I am. Just look closely.”

Sam turned around only to find his boyfriend standing before him with his lips puckered and eyes closed. He rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight his smile as he stepped forward to kiss him.

“That’s it?” he murmured as he pulled away. “That’s a real shame, Barnes.”

Bucky smiled, “I did say gifts. As in plural.”

Sam chuckled and gave his boyfriend another chaste peck before they headed to the kitchen. Bucky helped to set the table as Sam dished out dinner. They sat down to eat, talking about anything and everything. There were moments where the conversation lulled, but it was never awkward. Sam loved that about his relationship with Bucky.

They had reached the point of being so comfortable around each other that everything was done with a sense of ease. They were past the honeymoon phase, but they were still just as taken with each other as they had been when they had just started dating. It was moments like that, when they were just with each other and enjoying the other’s company. Words weren’t needed for that. If Sam hadn’t been so sure before that he had wanted to marry Bucky, then that would have been his deal breaker.

After dinner, the two of them cleared away the plates and Bucky headed to the living room as Sam plated up dessert. He went to sit beside his boyfriend and handed him one plate.

“Plum cake?” Bucky questioned, looking up with a confused smile.

“What? Don’t want it?”

“No, it’s not that. You rarely ever make this.”

Sam shrugged, “Yeah, but I felt like it. Remember when we first started dating?”

Bucky smiled and nodded. How could he forget? After all the struggles he went through just to get Sam to notice him as more than a friend, he was glad that the other Avenger had always returned his feelings. The plum cake was just a bonus. Bucky almost frowned as his recent failed attempts came to mind. It was like people said, history always repeated itself. Bucky had tired all his plans once again, at least for the moment, and he figured it was best to just wait for a while.

At least one thing remained constant, he mused as he stared at Sam. He loved the other man and he knew that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

Sam looked up when he felt Bucky’s gaze on him. His eyebrow raised in a silent question, but his boyfriend only smiled back at him.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Sam said, leaning forward to put down his plate on the coffee table. He stood up and began to head to his room, muttering under his breath, “With your goofy ass.”

He heard Bucky chuckle behind him as he entered his bedroom. He got what he came for before heading back to the couch.

“Look, I’m going to be honest with you,” he began, and watched as his partner sat up straight. “I knew what you were trying to do.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“I know about you trying to propose,” Sam admitted.

“What? I wasn’t – I mean, not that I wouldn’t – but you –”

“Well, you weren’t being subtle,” Sam said, and Bucky sighed, nodding in agreement. “Don’t worry. I didn’t know all the time. I just want you to know that you’re not alone.”

Bucky opened his mouth, most likely about to ask what Sam meant that, but he quickly closed it when he saw his boyfriend reach out and open his hand. There, in his palm, sat a jewellery box very similar to the one that Bucky had been toting around for the past few weeks.

“Since you couldn’t ask, then how about I do it?”

Bucky could only nod, feeling at a loss for words.

“Bucky, love of my life, pain in my ass, will you marry me?”

Bucky smiled, “Only if you let me ask you too.”

“No shit.”

They laughed and Bucky took the box from Sam. He took out the ring and placed it on his finger, feeling an odd warmth in his chest as he stared down at the piece of jewellery.

“You couldn’t have told me earlier? I would have brought my own ring and we could match.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you too.”

As it turned out, Bucky didn’t have to worry about his failures. He should have learnt from the last time. It didn’t matter anyhow. They were both happy.

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was it? By the way, has anyone watched Knives Out? Because, I did and I loved it!


End file.
